Autism Cure Claimed by Therapy Group

[n2doc]

Submitted by LiveScience Staff
posted: 13 November 2010 10:25 am ET

An organization that provides therapy to children with autism claims it has cured six Phoenix-area autistic children as part of a $5.4 million state-funded study.

While the announcement offers hope to parents of autistic children, the 3-year study was small, involving just 14 children, and not everyone is convinced the results represent a cure, the Arizona Republic reports.

"We were able to achieve normal functioning for 43 percent of our children — 43 percent are recovered," said Doreen Granpeesheh, founder and executive director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). Without governmental funding, the therapy would run in the neighborhood of $200,000.

Autism is characterized by difficulty communicating with others and an inability to behave appropriately in social situations. Some 1 in 110 children in the United States has autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The causes of autism remain largely mysterious.

more

http://www.livescience.com/health/etc/101113-autism-cure-claimed-therapy-group.html

[jody]

1. I'll believe that when they cure baldness. n/t

[sakabatou]

2. This needs to be looked into and possibly expanded

110 is just too small a pool

[SheilaT]

3. Somehow, as the mother of an autistic

son (Asperger's) I find it essentially impossible to believe autism can be cured. A lot of progress can be made, new behaviors can be learned and so on.

I'd much rather see a study to cure the meanness that so many Republicans exhibit.

[laconicsax]

4. Link to a second article that has some (not much) details on what was actually done.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/11/12/20101112autism-study-arizona.html

[mzteris]

5. ah - this makes more sense - not a "miracle cure" , but

"CARD goes into homes and schools to provide intense individual behavior therapy and school shadowing both for autistic children and their parents."

"Curing" is probably not the right word, but I can believe that intense behavioural therapy for both the child, AND the parents and teachers could significantly improve the situation.

[Odin2005]

6. BS quackery.